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John Ogonowski
John A. Ogonowski (February 24, 1951 – September 11, 2001) was a pilot and an agricultural activist. He was piloting American Airlines Flight 11 when it was hijacked and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the 9/11 attacks. A resident of Dracut, Massachusetts, Ogonowski was a leading figure on behalf of farming in Massachusetts, particularly for immigrant farmers from Cambodia, whom he assisted as part of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. Biography He went to a school at Keith Academy, Lowell. He was a pilot in the U. S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, flying C-141 transport aircraft. From 1978 to the end of his life, Ogonowski flew airplanes for American Airlines. He was killed on September 11, 2001, when the airplane he was flying, American Airlines Flight 11 was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center. It is believed that he was stabbed or his throat was slit before the plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Before dying, he managed to engage the aircraft's radio system to allow air traffic control to listen to the terrorists' conversations in the aircraft's cabin. His body was never found. A remote controlled model aircraft flying field in nearby Tewksbury, Massachusetts has been dedicated to Captain Ogonowski.Captain John A. Ogonowski Memorial Model Flying Field" (Pinnacle Street) - Tewksbury, Massachusetts at The 495th R/C Squadron An alumnus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the institution posthumously presented him with an honorary doctorate at the 2003 commencement ceremony at Tsongas Arena. He was also a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. 2010 Pi Lambda Phi Membership Directory Ogonowski is survived by his wife Margaret and daughters Laura, Caroline, and Mary Katherine. His younger brother, Jim Ogonowski, who is also an agricultural activist, made an unsuccessful run for the United States House of Representatives in 2007. timeline Shortly Before September 11, 2001: Flight 11 Pilot Not Originally Scheduled for that Flight John Ogonowski, who will pilot American Airlines Flight 11—the first plane to hit the World Trade Center—on 9/11, is not originally supposed to be on that flight, but is scheduled to fly it shortly before September 11. The original pilot is Walter Sorenson. But, according to the Georgetown Record, Sorenson is “disappointed when he is replaced by Captain John Ogonowski, who has seniority over Sorenson and requested to fly 9/11.” RECORD, 9/18/2003 However, other reports indicate Ogonowski is later unhappy about having to fly on September 11, and tries, unsuccessfully, to switch to another flight. RADIO INTERNATIONAL, 9/13/2002 Pilots on two of the other aircraft hijacked on 9/11 are also not originally scheduled to fly that day, but are booked onto those planes shortly before September 11 (see Shortly Before September 11, 2001 and Shortly Before September 11, 2001). Entity Tags: John Ogonowski, Walter Sorenson Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline (After 8:14 a.m.-8:38 a.m.) September 11, 2001: Flight 11 Pilot Repeatedly Pushes Talk Back Button John Ogonowski. Associated Press At some unknown point after the hijacking begins, Flight 11’s talkback button is activated, which enables Boston flight controllers to hear what is being said in the cockpit. It is unclear whether John Ogonowski, the pilot, activates the talkback button, or whether a hijacker accidentally does so when he takes over the cockpit. A controller later says, “The button is being pushed intermittently most of the way to New York.” An article later notes that “his ability to do so also indicates that he is in the driver’s seat much of the way” to the WTC. Such transmissions continue until about 8:38 a.m. SCIENCE MONITOR, 9/13/2001; MSNBC, 9/15/2001 However, Ogonowski fails to punch a four-digit emergency code into the plane’s transponder, which pilots are taught to do the moment a hijack situation is known (see (8:13 a.m.-9:28 a.m.) September 11, 2001). SCIENCE MONITOR, 9/12/2001; CNN, 9/13/2001; BOSTON GLOBE, 11/23/2001 Entity Tags: Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center, John Ogonowski Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline (8:38 a.m.) September 11, 2001: Flight 11 Pilot Stops Activating Talk Back Button The talkback button on Flight 11, which has been periodically activated since around 8:14 a.m., stops around this time. Some have suggested that this indicates that the hijackers replace pilot John Ogonowski at this time. SCIENCE MONITOR, 9/13/2001; MSNBC, 9/15/2001 Entity Tags: John Ogonowski Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline References External links *Captain John Ogonowski at Legacy.com Category:Victims of the September 11 attacks Category:American terrorism victims Category:Terrorism deaths in New York Category:People